We are One Body, One Body in Christ

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

Dec. 8 was an opportunity to experience the unity which we share as members of the Universal Church, the “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic” Church. We have such an opportunity, to be united with the “mystical Body of Christ” each time we celebrate the Mass, as we believe that full, active participation in the celebration of the Eucharist (a.k.a. “Mass”), unites us, not only with the mystical Body, the whole Church, here on earth, but also with the “Church Triumphant” in heaven (a.k.a. the “Heavenly Liturgy”).

Why was Dec. 8 a special expression of that unity? I believe there are, at least, four reasons: the first two are present each year on Dec. 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, because we are united with the whole Church in a Solemnity, a feast day celebrated by the whole Church, and we are united with the whole Church as we continue in the Season of Advent. The two additional reasons are unique to 2021: this year, on Dec. 8, we concluded the Year of St. Joseph, and we are in the midst of an experience (opportunity) called the Synod on Synodality, which, admittedly many of us are still trying to “figure out,” but I am sensing a growing interest in and enthusiasm for the Synod.

What does it mean to be “members of the One Body of Christ,” the Church? In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes:

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. … Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. [1 Cor 12:12–13, 27]

If you are not familiar with the 12th and 13th chapters of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, I would encourage you to take some time to read and pray with these beautiful and powerful teachings. The last line of chapter 12 (v. 31) and the first seven verses (plus the first three words of verse 8, “Love never fails”) of chapter 13 make up one of the most well-known of all Scripture passages, so often read at weddings, in which we hear the words, “… Love is patient, Love is kind …” (1 Cor 13:4). As beautiful as that passage is, I believe it is even more beautiful when read in the context of the whole of chapters 12 and 13.

The fullness, richness, and beauty of “Scripture and Tradition” in the context of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, the Sacraments, the Communion of the Saints, and the lived experience of the “Paschal Mystery,” which we celebrate at Mass, is something that I think can only be truly appreciated in heaven. But, my brothers and sisters, what an invitation and opportunity each of us has, here on earth, to try each day to live our faith.

I hope that the Year of St. Joseph has been for you, as it was for me, another example of the beauty of our Catholic faith and the “Gift and Mystery” that is the “Mystical Body of Christ,” our Church. During the summer and early fall, as I thought about the conclusion of the Year of St. Joseph and as we were just beginning to hear about the Synod on Synodality, after consultation with diocesan leaders, I discerned that, in the Year of 2022, we would have a Year of the Eucharist here in our Diocese of Paterson.

I announced the Year of the Eucharist in a video message on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8. The video and more information can be found at our diocesan website.

We will begin the Year of the Eucharist on Jan. 9, 2022, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The choice of that date, while originally made for some practical, calendar-related reasons, I believe is providential and very appropriate. We become members of the “One Body of Christ” at the moment of our Baptism (See 1 Corinthians 12–13). In 2022, as we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we can reflect on Baptism as the “fount of Sacramental Life” and part of the three-fold Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.

As many are aware, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, at their recent meeting (Nov. 15–18), approved a teaching document on the Eucharist, entitled The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church and is available online.

Perhaps not as many people (Catholics) are aware that the Bishops also approved a three-year plan for a “National Eucharistic Revival.” Again, information can be found online.

For those of us who are grateful for the gift of our Catholic faith and the gift of his Presence that Jesus has given to us in the Eucharist, his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, the “Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation,” we are also aware that something has gone terribly wrong, as so many of our Catholic sisters and brothers do not seem to appreciate or understand the meaning and importance of receiving Jesus in Holy Communion and sharing in the Eucharist each week, united with and as the “One Body of Christ.”

As we give thanks for all blessings received and shared in the Year of St. Joseph, in these Advent days as we prepare for and look forward to celebrating the Birth of Jesus at Christmas, I hope and pray that the coming year, 2022, will be a blessed year for our Diocese, living a Year of the Eucharist, united with and as the One Body of Christ.